BNP Paribas Open: RSCA HYMN

Credits & Description:

Category: Corporate Communication

Advertiser: BNP PARIBAS FORTIS

Product/Service: RSC ANDERLECHT SPONSORSHIP

Agency: PUBLICIS BRUSSELS

Executive Creative Director: Paul Servaes (Publicis Brussels)

Creative Director: Alain Janssens (Publicis Brussels)

Associate Creative Director: Tom Berth/Geert De Rocker (Publicis Brussels)

Web Production: Bureau 347 (Bureau 347)

Copywriter: Marko Leus (Publicis Brussels)

Digital Creative: Denis Evlard (Reed.be)

Adaptation: Jérôme Van Den Broeck/Nathalie Delchambre

Strategic Director: Tom Theys (Publicis Brussels)

Account Team: Sabrina Schuller/Jeannette Westerhout (Publicis Brussels)

Digital Services Director: Nadia Dafir (Publicis Brussels)

Web Agency: Jérôme Franck (Bureau347)

Project Manager: Dorian Van Bever (Publicis Brussels)

Technical Director: Melvyn Hills (Publicis Brussels)

Technical Director: Melvyn Hills (Publicis Brussels)

Interactive Art Director: Sven Grothe (Publicis Brussels)

Motion Design: Nicolas Hicorne

Art Buying: Laurence Maes

Photographer: Jurgen Rogiers

Retouching: (Beefactory)

Graphism/Typographer: Christophe Vantricht

Traffic/Production Manager: Marleen Hemeleers

Agency Producer: Marc Van Buggenhout

Music: Kris Debusscher

Sound Design: (Sonicville)

Producer: Lies Bronselaer (Ristrettofilms)

D.O.P.: Patrick Otten

Editing Company: (Mikros Image Brussels)

Postproduction: Mikros, Cobra, Alexisfilms

Case Movie: David Milieikowski, Thomas Landeloos (Milly Films)

Client Contact: Alain De Greef/Emilie Jacqueroux/Morgan Libert

Media placement: tv spot - Online - 28/04/2012



Summary of the Campaign

Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht is Belgium’s most prestigious football club. And for 30 years, BNP Paribas Fortis had been its proud sponsor. In order to celebrate this sponsorship anniversary, we wanted to offer a present to the club’s most precious asset: its supporters. We chose the 1 thing the club didn’t have: a hymn that unites all fans.



All club fans were invited to write and select the lyrics together. Then they were asked to rehearse and sing the new hymn in front of their webcam, even record themselves while doing so. Finally, they were invited to join in singing the song at its première.

At the launch of the hymn, Anderlecht won the ‘classico’ against all-time rival Standard 5-0. They took the lead in the championship and became the national champion at the end of the season.



The Situation

Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht is Belgium’s most prestigious football club. And for 30 years, BNP Paribas Fortis had been its proud sponsor.



Belgium is a country with 3 official languages, 4 regions and 5 governments. It’s a divided country with Brussels right in the middle. Being the capital’s biggest club, Anderlecht is a perfect reflection of this Belgian situation: a heterogeneous fan base from different classes, language groups and cultures. Symbolically, RSCA Anderlecht is one of Europe’s very few top teams that don’t have a personal hymn to be proud of. To celebrate the anniversary of BNP Paribas Fortis’ 30-year sponsorship, we wanted to involve the fans. But we found ourselves confronted with a scattered fan base that was really hard to activate. On top of that, BNP Paribas Fortis had the bad reputation that most banks suffered from, right after the financial crisis.



The Goal

Being a bank to whom relationships have the most important value, we wanted to reunite the club, the sponsor and especially the different fanclubs around 1 common project. We didn’t want a one-off birthday present or a single insert ad campaign. Instead, we wanted to make a mark that would last.



The Strategy

Let’s create a hymn together for the club of our heart.



BNP Paribas Fortis had a musician compose the melody. Via a dedicated website, all Anderlecht fans were invited to propose lyrics. All proposals were posted on a website wall for everybody to see. Site visitors could submit their ‘like’ for each line.



When the song was written, fans were asked to rehearse the song in front of their webcam and record themselves while doing so. Finally, they were invited to join in singing the song on its première during the most tense match of the season; the ‘classico’ against rival Standard.



Execution

PHASE 1: CO-CREATION

Before the season, a TV and print campaign invited the fans to take part, for 6 weeks. On a website they could propose lyrics and ‘like’ proposals made by others. At the end of this phase we proposed 2 text versions and let the fans vote.



PHASE 2: REHEARSAL

For 1 month fans rehearsed the song before their webcam and submitted their performance on a wall. During the pre-season matches, fans could sing the song in a ‘sing box’ in front of the stadium, performances that would be used in the videoclip of the hymn.



PHASE 3: REVEAL

For 2 weeks, posters announced the première, right before the game against historical rival Standard. In a webfilm several players pushed the fans to sing along. At the première 25,000 purple-white scarves were distributed in the stadium. 1 side featured the lyrics; the other side, the slogan, 'one team, one voice'.



Documented Results

125,593 fans participated in the write and sing phase.



At the launch of the hymn, 25,000 throats sung along in an emotional première - goosebumps included.



Anderlecht won the ‘classico’ against all-time rival Standard 5-0. They took the lead in the championship and became the national champion at the end of the season.